King David's Top 6 Activities During Quarantine
As the apocalypse continues, there’s a pretty good chance you’re starting to experience cabin fever after a week in isolation. You’re lonely, dying of boredom, and long for the contact of another human. We’re social creatures and need social stimulation to live meaningful lives. This lonely lifestyle is going to last until at least May if not longer. What can you do to mitigate these feelings of isolation that you’re experiencing?
Change your behavior! My routine of going to my favorite brewery every Friday is null. Even a week later, I think to myself, I’m going to go hang out with my friends at Eagle Rock. Remember that time we went to karaoke? Let’s go this Friday! I’m going to go blog at Guild Hall or Base Camp and enjoy some coffee! While these are all great places I love to go, thy’re no longer an option, so I’ve had to change my routine. Yeah, I’m not happy, either. Here’s what I’m doing to stay positive.
1. READ MORE BOOKS
One of my biggest disappointments during quarantine is that our book club has been put on hold. While it’s only temporary, 2 months is a long time to wait. I enjoy seeing my friends and discussing a new read each month. I also like to read, a lot, but I’m usually distracted by video games, social activities, or by my phone. During the quarantine, reading’s one of my top priorities. If you’re like me and easily tempted by technology, toss your phone aside and pick up one of these books. Stay safe inside and buy them on Amazon. I’m not saying you have to return to the forest and live as a luddite, but consider reading something new!
2. EXERCISE
I’m not in great shape, but I just had a couple of personal training sessions before LA went into early stage apocalypse mode. In the event of zombies, you should be able to run quickly or at least be able to power-walk a few miles at a time. Whether or not you’re a gym rate, there’s a ton of free exercise videos on YouTube. I’ve already tried a couple 15 minute ab and 15 minute chest workouts . They can be brutal and you’ll be sore for days. Trust me. You’ll be glad that you took a break from your phone and got some exercise in. I can guarantee that it’ll improve your mood as well. It might not fix loneliness, but it can really help with depression.
3. LEARN A NEW SKILL
I’ve been taking SQL classes on Codeacademy.com after a good friend and constituent recommended it to me. Code Academy has a lot of free classes that you can take to beef up your coding skills for that new job post #quarantinelife. Why stop at coding? Coding’s monotonous and boring and might not appeal to you. It’s a useful skill, but I can’t imagine programming for a career. YouTube is at your disposal. Watch a cooking video and try and recreate the recipe. Try making a cocktail out of liquor that friends left. Cook a new recipe. I made some jerk chicken the other week and it’s been one of my go-tos. If you have the space, you can even grow your own ingredients through gardening.
4. PLAN A TRIP
I’m back in quarantine, but I took a roadtrip from Chicago to Los Angeles, passing through Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Utah was my 44th state! There aren’t many places open right now and it forced us to skip Denver and Salt Lake City, but the national parks are still kicking and their fees have been waived. You could plan a trip across the country with all the money you’re saving from not going to the bar or from eating out. You could plan a trip to Mexico City or Belize or Bulgaria. Calculate the costs, map out a trip of places you’d like to see, and write out an itinerary, day by day. While you can’t travel right now, this lockdown won’t last forever. Stash it away and take a look in a couple months. You’ll be glad you did.
5. SELL STUFF ONLINE
3.3 million people filed for unemployment. If you’re hurting for cash while you wait for that unemployment check, try selling items on eBay or Mercari. I sell some of my antique coins from time to time. They might not be much, but selling a 120 year old penny for $3.00 seems like a good price to me. I picked up some collectibles and old Sega Saturn games from my parents’ home that might net ten or twenty bucks here and there. This hobby might not be sustainable, but it’ll keep you occupied and help you make a couple hundred dollars throughout your isolation. eBay and Mercari are super easy to use. You can take a picture of your item, set your price, and list it immediately.
6. PLAY AN RPG
Role-playing games are perfect for the apocalypse. These are games that you can sink at least 40 hours into and get great gameplay and a wonderful story. Even if you’re not a gamer, this is a good time to delve into a RPG. If you want to really be ironic, play Fallout 4, set post-nuclear war. Witcher III is another good one to play, especially if you’ve seen the Netflix series. Sekiro and Bloodborne are for the experienced gamer, but a couple of my favorites. Horizon Zero Dawn will take a good 40 hours of your time. The Yakuza series is also one of my favorites that you can easily put 100 hours into. Play an old Final Fantasy game or the new Final Fantasy VII remake. RPGs take me back to my childhood when I didn’t have to worry about gaming for hours and now’s the perfect time.
Most importantly, if you spend a day being unproductive, binging Netflix or playing video games for hours, it’s okay! I have my guilty pleasures and bad habits, too. Playing games or watching shows won’t keep you happy for long, but sometimes you have to recharge and it’s good to recognize that. Take naps, play games, eat junk food, but try some of my suggestions above to help you make it through the quarantine. We can do it together.
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